


Kiss the Rain

by caesarinoandcheese



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, F/M, character death mention, spoilers for the end of vol3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 16:18:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6431479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caesarinoandcheese/pseuds/caesarinoandcheese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaune's world falls apart the moment he hears those four words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss the Rain

His throat burned, he limped every step he took, and he his sword felt heavier than it ever had in his hand. He didn't feel the burn of his scratches and wounds, moving almost mechanically through the streets of Vale. One foot in front of the other, making his way towards where he had seen airships heading. Grimm tried to block his path, snarling and charging, looking to make an easy meal of an injured Huntsman. He met their challenge head on, yelling, taking his frustrations out on the creatures. Part of him knew he shouldn't have. Pyrrha and him had been working on control, keeping his cool during the heat of battle. Oh, if only she could see him now, charging without a care for his own safety, slashing away at whatever his sword could reach, forgetting at times that there was a shield strapped to his arm.

Jaune, simply, didn't care. He had never felt more alone in his life. Scroll broken, separated from his team and his friends, wandering the streets of a city out to kill him. The only thing that mattered was currently fighting for her life and the lives of everyone else.

And he couldn't do a damned thing to help.

It hurt. It hurt worse than he ever could have imagined. He should have been with her, fighting by her side. She was his teammate, his friend. Instead, she had shoved him into a locker and walked alone to face a threat that had taken down even Professor Ozpin. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and he hated himself for it. If he had been even a bit stronger, if he had been competent enough, maybe she wouldn't have felt the need to send him away.

To save him from whatever fate she faced alone.

All he could do was call Weiss, plead with her to save Pyrrha. If anyone could do it, it was her. Team RWBY had pulled off some rather incredible things in the past, after all. He hoped- oh god he hoped- that she would make it in time, that together Pyrrha and Weiss could stop whatever force had descended upon the city. It was the only choice they had, the only thing he could put any hope into.

"Jaune!"

He tore his gaze upwards, blinking until he recognized Nora, Ren by her side. The two of them looked worse for wear, bandaged by medics that were quickly passing from one person to the next. Relief was clear on both of their faces, especially with the small smiles that pulled at the corners of their mouths. Other students heard the call, looking over at him, some offering smiles and a few short greetings, most being along the lines of 'glad you're okay'. Even Cardin of all people looked relieved, some of the tension that had been in the other student's shoulders disappearing.

"We thought you were a goner! With all the Grimm out there, and that big dragon thing circling around the tower, and then everything falling apart-" Nora made to move forward, wincing at the movement and drawing back. It was a surprise, to say the least. How hard had things been for the rest of the students if Team JNPR's hardest hitter was injured bad enough to keep her energetic behavior in check?

"We're glad you're alright," Ren offered, giving Jaune a smile.

"I-" He wasn't sure how to respond to that. More than once on the walk Jaune had given up on his own personal safety, rushing into situations he shouldn't have. Seeing Ren and Nora, alive and so relieved to see him, he knew he had been in the wrong. He was a leader, first and foremost. He should have been focused on getting back to his other teammates over his own personal feelings. Pyrrha and Weiss were strong. They could get out of any mess they found themselves in.

Jaune stood up a bit straighter, finding it in him to give Ren and Nora a smile of his own. "Yeah. I'm glad you two are alright, too. Do you know what's going on?"

"They're evacuating the school. There's too many Grimm, and Atlas' robots did a number on quite a few students." Ren's gaze shifted to Nora, all the tell Jaune needed to know where their injuries had come from. 

Nora, however, looked more pouty than anything, puffing out her cheeks and giving a little grumble about the machines, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing. Her look dropped in an instant though, replaced by something closer to curiosity. "Hey, wait, Ruby and Weiss went to go look for you and Pyrrha. Why'd you come here alone?" 

Ruby had been with Weiss? That should have been a good thing, but all Jaune felt was panic beginning to grow in his chest. "Wait, you mean none of them have made it back yet?" Shit. Oh, shit. Had he screwed up in asking Weiss to save Pyrrha? Sending not only her, but Ruby as well, to their deaths? Jaune snapped around, looking up at the Tower with wide eyes, the grip on his sword tightening.

"Easy, kid. You go rushing back in there you'll wind up dead." 

It took Jaune a second to recognize the man standing to the side as Ruby's uncle. He looked as annoyed as ever, standing with his arms crossed over his chest and weapon across his back. Compared to others who had their weapons clutched in hand, reacting to every little sound, Qrow looked calm, professional. It seemed out of place for a man whose niece was missing.

"But-!"

"Ruby and Schnee's little sister are fine."

Oh. That explained a bit, and left many more questions. Ruby and Weiss were fine, but he hadn't mentioned anything about Pyrrha. Whether that was a good thing or not, Jaune wasn't sure he wanted to know. "What about Pyrrha?"

Qrow turned his gaze away. "She didn't make it."

It was news Jaune had dreaded hearing. His eyes went wide and his stomach dropped, head shaking side to side in pure disbelief. He had prepared himself for it, had known when he had called Weiss that the chances of Pyrrha making it out alive were slim. Even so, it was Pyrrha Nikos they were talking about. The idea that she was gone was hard to grasp. She had always seemed like such a permanent force, something that would never fade away. With her easy smiles, the proud glimmer in her eyes when they trained at night, Jaune had never considered that one day they wouldn't be walking side by side together.

He took a small step back. "You're wrong." His voice sounded weird in his ears, as if it weren't his own. "She wouldn't- She can't be- " He couldn't bring himself to say it. The words caught in his throat, choking him each time. 

"I'm sorry."

No. 

No no no.

This wasn't happening. 

Jaune took another step back, feeling as if his entire body were shaking. Those couple of words kept playing over in his head, drowning out anything else. He barely felt a hand set on his shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. Heck, he barely noticed Nora in front of him until she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him forward into her. 

Pyrrha was gone.

She wasn't coming back.

It was too much. A strangled sound escaped from his throat, his sword dropping from his hand. Jaune's legs gave out, sending him crumpling to the ground. Nora went with him, only tightening her grip on him. He clenched the fabric of her shirt, something solid to hang onto when his world felt like it was falling apart beneath him. Tears he hadn't realized had gathered spilled over, teeth digging into his lower lip to try to quell any other sounds that threatened to come forward. He couldn't say anything. What was there to say? Pyrrha was gone.

His head dipped forward, resting on Nora's shoulder, body shaking with each sharp inhale he took. The only sound he made was a whine after each breath, becoming more and more ragged the more it settled that Pyrrha wasn't coming back. After what they had been through, after the kiss she had pulled him into. Why did she have to go and do that knowing what sort of fate stood before her, knowing that they'd never have a chance to make anything of it? 

Giving a goodbye that hurt worse than any words Qrow could have said.

**Author's Note:**

> why not use the title of a song that absolutely emotionally destroys me for a fic I hope destroys others


End file.
